This invention relates generally to the field of turbines or power plants that produce electricity from fluid flow, either air or water, and more particularly relates to such devices wherein the fluid flow causes rotation of a propeller-type or impeller-type rotor, with the rotation being transferred to generators to produce the electricity. Even more particularly, the invention relates to such devices wherein the rotor is an open center rotor capable of rotation in either direction in response to the water flow direction encountered in rising and falling tides.
Production of electricity using hydroelectric or wind-powered turbines is well known. The fluid flow causes rotation of a propeller-type rotor or blades. For wind-powered turbines, the devices are located in areas with steady air currents, and the devices are typically rotated so as to be oriented in the optimum direction for capturing the wind energy. For hydroelectric turbines, the devices are usually placed in fast moving water currents, typically as part of a dam structure. Such water flow conditions are known as high head conditions.
While most turbines are constructed to have a central rotating shaft, that is held in place by oil lubricated bearings, onto which the blades or runners are mounted, it has been found that open-centered turbine constructions can have benefits not found with turbines having centralized shafts. Turbines having open-centered rotors, where the blades are mounted between inner and outer annular rings or rims and where the energy is transferred through the outer rim, can be successful in low head conditions, i.e., in slower currents. This is due to several reasons, including the fact that elimination of the central shaft and centralized blade portions reduces drag and the fact that larger diameter rotors can be produced since weight is reduced, thereby increasing the surface area contacting the low head flow. Another benefit to open-centered turbines in hydroelectric applications is that since water flow through the central portion of the turbine is not obstructed by blades, fish are able to pass through. Examples of such open center turbines can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,816 issued Jan. 14, 1997, and reissued as RE38,336 on Dec. 2, 2003, U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,589 issued Nov. 18, 2003, U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,840 issued May 4, 2004, and U.S. Patent Appl. Publication US2005/0031442 published Feb. 10, 2005 (Ser. No. 10/633,865).
Because the fluid flow in these turbines is unidirectional, the force applied against the blades and rotors is also unidirectional. Thus, to date it has only been necessary to address frictional issues on the down-stream or down-wind side of the rotor where the outer rim is retained by the housing, since the flow will exert pressure in only one direction. In open-centered turbines it is the trailing edge of the outer rim that must be supported by the housing, while the leading edge of the outer rim is not subjected to down-stream or down-wind pressure.
Examples of turbines subject to bidirectional fluid flow can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,990 to Heuss et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,373 to Vauthier, U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,251 to Vauthier, U.K. Patent No. 2,408,294 to Susman et al., and WIPO International Publication WO 03/025385 to Davis et al.
It is an object of this invention to provide a hydroelectric turbine or power plant that is operational in bi-directional water flow without requiring physical reversal of the turbine, where bi-directional flow comprises flow in one direction over a certain time period and reversed flow in the opposite direction over a subsequent time period. It is a further object to provide such a turbine capable of producing electricity in bidirectional tidal flow applications. It is a further object to provide such a turbine wherein the rotor is able to shift in the axial direction, and in particular as the water lubricated axial bearings wear, such that the operational cycle of the turbine between replacement of bearings is greatly extended. It is a further object to provide such a turbine wherein the axial shifting of the rotor within the housing allows debris trapped between the rotor and the housing to be swept away. It is a further object to provide such a turbine wherein the axial shifting of the rotor within the housing results in less force being required to initiate rotation.